A View To A Skrill Part 3
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: The Outcasts decide to give the Skrill a second chance, and while on a flight, Hiccup and the other dragon riders discover that they have already released the lightning dragon from its prison of ice. What will happen? Will they survive...? Requested by the awesome silverwolvesarecool. Cover art done by the amazing TheLastNightFury.
1. Chapter 1

**So ya, a new story. :) I imagine this taking place directly after "A View To A Skrill Part 2" (Defenders of Berk episode). It was requested by silverwolvesarecool, and I want to thank the user. :) This is for silverwolvesarecool, and everyone else who wants to read. :D Enjoy! **

My eyes shot open at the sound of a large _THUMP _permeating from the rooftop. I knew it was Toothless; he always woke me up early in the morning, every morning. So, instead of dealing with the pesky Night Fury at that moment, I pulled the blanket over my head and rolled over on my side. I heard it again; _THUMP_, the second time time, followed by a desperate roar. The third time I heard it, the entire house shook.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" I called out, dragging myself out of bed at length, down the stairs, and then finally outside my house. Toothless was on the roof, getting ready to jump on it a fourth time.

"Good morning, Mr. Bossy," I called up to him. He mimicked me with grunts and growls before jumping down from the roof, landing right in front of me. "You always have to wake me up so early just to go flying," I commented.

Toothless, in response, whacked me with his tail.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I said. "You ready?"

The dragon bounded around me once, and I quickly mounted him. As soon as I clicked my prosthetic into the footpedal, we were airborne.

Even though it had only been two years since we had made peace with the dragons, Berk had already become so much better. No more dragon raids, no more worrying about our livestock getting taken in the middle of the night...life on Berk was amazing.

Toothless barrel rolled straight through a cloud. I tossed my hands in the air, the wind blowing my hair across my face, not that I cared. Flying was something awesome.

After another hour, we finally headed back to the village, landing pronely at the Dragon Academy. I dismounted, looking behind me. As if on cue, Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and the twins flew in on their own dragons, getting off them as soon as they touched down.

"Top of the morning, class!" I greeted them.

"Good morning, Hiccup," Astrid said. "What are we going to be working on today?"

"Aerial tricks," I answered without hesitation. "Who's up first?"

Snotlout hand shots up instantly. "Ooh, me! Me!" he shouted, jumping up and down with more enthusiasm than he usually had.

"Actually," Fishlegs said matter of factly, "it's supposed to be-"

"_Me_," said Snotlout, looking at Fishlegs, almost daring him to say otherwise.

"Then _go _already!" Astrid shouted, pointing to the sky. Snotlout mounted Hookfang, and they took off.

Hookfang obviously didn't have much respect for Snotlout, because whatever he said to do, Hookfang did the exact opposite. In the end, the Monstrous Nightmare spun towards the ground, fire alight, Snotlout screaming for the dragon to slow down and cut it out. Hookfang spread his wings _just - _and I mean _just_ - before they hit the ground. Snotlout dismounted, looking dizzy.

"Did I win?" he asked.

"Okay, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you're up," I said. The twins mounted their dragon, and took to the sky. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout and I watched them with amusement as the dragon tried to go in two directions at once, trying to follow the commands of both their riders.

"Left!" Tuffnut shouted.

"No, right!" Ruffnut denied. Both Zippleback heads tried (and failed) to follow both commands, resulting in their heads getting twisted.

"Okay, down!" said Tuffnut.

"Up!" said Ruffnut. The dragon once again grew confused, and instead of doing either one of the commands, spun upside down, successfully dumping Ruffnut and Tuffnut off its back. Luckily, they weren't high enough to actually get hurt by the fall, and jumped back to their feet an instant later.

"What's my score?" they asked in unison.

"Not keeping a score," I said as if it were an after thought. "Fishlegs, you're up."

Fishlegs mounted Meatlung, and then circled the academy once before landing again. Of course, since Meatlung was a Gronckle, and Gronckle's weren't exactly _fast_, Meatlung and Fishlegs always tried to beat their "around-the-academy" record.

"Okay, Astrid, looks like you're up next," I said.

A satisfied grin flashed across her face as she mounted Stormfly and took to the sky. Stormfly barrel rolled, easily dodging sea stacks just before she shot higher into the sky, spinning, her wings looking almost like propellers.

The dragon stopped flying altogether, falling back towards the sea. Just before hitting the ocean, Stormfly unfolded her wings, shooting across the water with the grace of an athletic cat. Then, the Nadder and the rider came back and landed, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs "oo-ing" and "aah-ing."

"Okay, who's up next?" I asked.

"You are," said Astrid.

"Right," I said. I turned, mounted Toothless, and the Night Fury shots into the sky.

Toothless spun diagonally, tucking his wings close to his body as we flew through the air. Then, after we got high enough, Toothless flipped backwards and shots straight towards the ocean. Just as his nose grazed the ocean, he dove in and out of it like a dolphin. Then, he flew back into the sky, heading straight towards the academy, and fired one - two - three - _four _plasma blasts into the air right in front of the other riders and dragons as we came in to land. The blasts exploded like fireworks in mid-air, leaving the riders below to gasp in awe and wonder.

"Yeeeep," I heard Astrid say. "They're still the best."

Toothless landed in front of the academy once more, and I dismounted.

"Another win," I whispered to Toothless, running my hand across his skaley head. He growled in agreement, nodding right along with me. I smiled in his direction, and then turned to the other academy members as they approached us.

"What do we do now?" Tuffnut asked.

"Patrols," I answered him. "We need to make sure Dagur and the Outcasts aren't planning any kind of attack. They're unpredictable as ever," I add with an eye roll. "If you guys know what I mean."

"We haven't seen any sign of the Outcasts for a while now," Astrid said. "It wouldn't surprise me to learn they're planning something big, waiting for just the right moment to use it against us."

"In that case, we should split up," I said. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs, you three check around Dragon Island, and then move to some of the surrounding isles. Snotlout, Astrid and I will go to Healer's island and some of the surrounding isles, and see what we can find."

"Got it," Tuffnut said.

"Double got it," Ruffnut agreed.

The twins and Fishlegs turned and mounted their dragons, heading off in the direction assigned to them while Astrid, Snotlout and I did the same.


	2. Chapter 2

Snotlout, Astrid and I soared over Healer's Island, looking around for any sign of the Outcasts or Berserkers. Thankfully, we found nothing.

"I don't see anything here," Snotlout spoke for the first time since we left Berk. "Maybe we could head to some other island and look around there."

"Maybe," I agreed with a slight shrug. "Let's just look around a little bit at some of these sea stacks and see if any of the ships are hiding from view."

We split up into three groups (one person each) without another word elsewise, soaring directly over the ocean on our dragons in search of enemy troops. We found nothing of significance, and after about ten minutes, met up again.

"So, let's get to the next closest island," I said. The others nodded without argument and we were off.

We searched, looking over the ocean for any sign of Alvin the Treacherous, or Dagur the Deranged. After finding yet nothing still, we continued on towards Outcast island itself.

As we headed that way, we continued to look down for any sight of any ships at all. I was just about to call out and say that there was nothing, when I suddenly saw something strange.

"Is that an Outcast ship?" I asked, pointing in the direction the object was. It was a black dot, moving across the ocean swiftly.

"I'm not sure," Astrid said. "Let's get a closer look." We headed in the direction of the ship, keeping close to the ocean in an attempt to not be seen in case was something we had to worry about.

I gasped once we reached it. "An Outcast ship," I said.

"And it looks like they're heading in the direction of Berk," said Snotlout.

I was about to agree, when I really looked at which direction the ship was heading. "No, wait a minute…" I hesitated. "It doesn't."

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked.

Instead of answering, I simply pointed out into the distance, where came into sight, a large, blue sea stack like area that looked remarkably like…

"Oh no," I muttered under my breath, intending and hoping that Snotlout and Astrid didn't hear me. They heard me, obviously, because they both started talking and asking questions at once.

"What?" they whispered in unison. "What is it?"

"That's the place we re-froze the Skrill," I explain. "You two weren't here, but the twins and I locked the Skrill here again so it couldn't get out and wreck havoc, and so the Outcasts and Berserkers couldn't use it."

"And...the Outcasts are heading straight for...oh no," said Snotlout, looking to me frantically. "I think I know what you're getting to, Hiccup. You can't be serious...can you?"

I nodded. "I hope I'm wrong, though," I admitted.

"What do we do?" asked Astrid.

"We have to stop them, if they're going to start trying to free the Skrill," I said. "We can't have a repeat of the last time the Berserkers tried to get that dragon."

And so we headed in that direction, straight towards the Outcasts ships while at the same time keeping a safe distance.

We watched from above and moved our dragons over the ship, watching the Outcasts as they scurried about madly. I frowned as I spotted Alvin the Treacherous; leader of the Outcasts. Alvin; the same Alvin who tried to kidnap me every single chance he got. The same Alvin who had been banished from Berk because of his treachery. The same Alvin who called me the "dragon conqueror" and always tried to get me to train dragons to use against Berk.

"Yeah, they're heading to the ice thing," Snotlout whispered, breaking me from my thoughtful remorse. "What's the plan, brainiac?"

"We have to stop them, either way," I replied. "Come on. Let's see if we can't get to that ice block before they do."

Astrid and Snotlout followed me as I raced forward on Toothless, flying straight up to keep from being seen, and then heading for the stack of ice jutting out of the ocean, almost like a mountain. Just before we get there, I gasped.

I yanked on Toothless' saddlehorn, the dragon coming to a complete stop. Astrid and Snotlout did the same thing beside me, looking at me in confusion.

"There are Outcasts already there," I said as they opened their mouths to ask me what was wrong. "And…" I swallowed hard. "It...it looks like they're already done freeing the Skrill."

As if on cue, lightning lit up the sky, and I winced. Astrid and Snotlout gasped as roars of fury filled the air, the noise ringing in our ears.

"What do we do now!?" Astrid looked to me frantically for an answer I didn't have.

"We have to do something," I decided on saying. "Snotlout and Astrid, you two get rid of the Outcasts. I'm going to try and get rid of that Skrill."

"Careful," said Astrid. "Lightning is attracted to metal. And you two-" She looked at Toothless' tailfin, and then to my prosthetic, "-are wearing a lot more metal than the rest of us."

"I'll make a note of that," I said offhandedly. "Don't get captured by the Outcasts, whatever you do." On that cheery note, I flew Toothless straight towards the stack of ice while Astrid and Snotlout turned to face the upcoming Outcasts.

The Skrill was standing, ropes hooked around its body to keep it from flying away. It roared in fury, the sky alighting with lightning once more as it released its fury. Toothless spun out of the way just before we were blasted out of existence.

The Outcasts on the mound of ice were trying to keep the Skrill at bay, but it obviously wasn't working. So, I used that to my advantage.

"TOOTHLESS, PLASMA BLAST!" I shouted. Toothless quickly obeyed me, firing straight at the Outcasts that were holding the Skrill down. The Outcasts dove for cover, releasing the Skrill and ducking, their hands on their heads. The Skrill roared, and was just about to fly in the opposite direction, when Toothless stopped him with another plasma blast.

The Outcasts were retreating, but the Skrill wasn't. Enraged at me and my dragon, he flew straight for us, roaring like mad. I took a deep breath, and then Toothless dove straight towards the ocean, the Skrill in close pursuit of us both.


	3. Chapter 3

**I am Queen Cliffy, how do you do? Welcome to this crazy chapter! I hope I don't leave you hanging too much here, but yeah. Shout-outs next chapter. :) ENJOY! :D **

The Skrill was gaining on Toothless and me quickly; how did that dragon get so blazing _fast!? _Toothless, just before smacking into the ocean, reeled up and soared into the sky.

I turned around just in time to shout, "TOOTHLESS, BARREL ROLL!" before the Skrill blasted us into oblivion with a strike of lightning. Toothless spun out of the way just before the lightning hit us. Unfortunately, spinning out of the way resulted in him also spinning out of control. Something was wrong with his tail fin. I couldn't control it.

Just before we crash, Toothless managed to get us to the ice stack, so we tumbled on that instead of slamming into the ocean. Still, although the snow and ice somewhat brokes our fall, it still hurt something awful.

I got to my feet, Toothless moving to stand beside me. I looked back at his tail fin and cringed. The Skrill had gotten it with its lightning. What used to be a read prosthetic was now a torn and tattered, useless piece of singed cloth.

To make matters worse, the Skrill was coming straight at us.

Toothless and I ran in different directions, missing the Skrill's next bout of lightning. It opened its mouth for the fatal blow, when Astrid and Snotlout flew in from behind it, their dragons blasting fire straight at it.

The Skrill, its attention now on Astrid and Snotlout, roared in enraged anger and fury. It fired more lightning at the duo, and they dodged. Stormfly spun in order to miss it, which she did with flying colors. But that lead to Astrid being thrown from the saddle.

"ASTRID!" I shouted.

"I got her!" Snotlout shouted back to me, steering Hookfang towards the falling, screaming girl. Hookfang grabbed her in his claws, and she stopped screaming instantly...until she saw what direction Hookfang was going in.

"SNOTLOUT!" she screamed.

Snotlout looked in front of him...just in time for them to ram into the top of the iceberg. Hookfang took most of the hit, resulting in him getting knocked unconscious.

"AAH!" Snotlout screamed. "MAYDAY, MAYDAY! WE'RE GOING DOWN!"

Toothless ran over and caught them both on his back just before they hit the ground. They dismounted instantly, looking back and standing beside me as the Skrill comes back to finish the job it started.

Just before it destroyed us all with its lightning breath, Stormfly rammed into the dragon.

"THATTA GIRL, STORMFLY!" Astrid encouraged her dragon. "YOU GOT THIS, GIRL!"

The Nadderhead roared once again at the Skrill, and then rammed into it once more. The Skrill roared, letting loose more and more lightning in random directions at random bouts. Astrid, Toothless, Snotlout and I dodged most of it.

And I said "most of it" for an important reason.

I froze as something shot through my body. The pain was excruciating; I couldn't even move, it was so bad. I tried to scream, but my voice wasn't working, either. The violent, unbearable pain was blurring my vision until eventually, when I opened my eyes, all I saw was a blurry, white landscape of nothingness.

My hearing was fading along with my vision; everything I heard was muffled and distant sounding, as if the speaker was talking through honey, or some other kind of thick substance.

I faintly heard Astrid's strangled, terrified cry of "HICCUP!" just as the pain finally subsided, just barely enough for me to think straight. It left me standing there, gasping for breath as I tried to register what had just happened. I was still standing, but I knew it wouldn't be for much longer. It was as if the energy had been sucked right out of me in one painful, ten second long experience.

And so I stood there, gasping for breath, trying to drag oxygen back into my lungs, my mind scrambled like a jigsaw puzzle as I tried to register the pain. I double blinked, my eyelids flickering more often than not. Then, all at once, my eyes rolled up in my head, and I crumpled to the ground, my consciousness leaving me.


	4. Chapter 4

**So ya, 'dis a new chappie. :) Not too bad of a cliffy thingy here, but it's still there, so...ya. Please don't chop me. Shout-outs: **

**midnightsky0612: Exactly. My thoughts exactly. **

**silverwolvesarecool: Glad you seem to be liking it so far! :D **

**xFaerieValkyriex: Cray-cray-er. Haha. :D **

**AnimeAngel: Lol! I don't watch Pokemon, but I still laughed. :) **

**HiccupHaddockIII: Hahaha! :D **

**Silver Electricity: Oh, thank you! *takes award* It gets _WORRRRSSSEEE_ for poor Hiccup and his friends, too. :) *evil smile* **

**TheLastNightFury777: I've always wondered what it would be like if Hiccup went Post-Lightning-Snotlout on us. :D **

**Wanli8970: Haha, yep! :D So, I have a question: If Flara is trying to kill Hiccup, what would make her stop? **

My head swam, my vision slowly coming into focus as I opened my eyes and squinted at the world around me with confusion. The blurry haze was a sorry excuse for sight; really, it was. My head pounded as if it were being bashed with a forge hammer (in which I speak, sadly, from experience).

When my vision finally returned, I found myself in a cave. That was weird. I tried to make a move to get up, and then ended up yelping and falling back sharply. I was quite certain at that point that if someone so much as _touched _me I would have screamed from the pain.

Only one question flashed through my head: What happened?

I closed my eyes against the pounding in my head. I could hear my heartbeat, pounding against my ears as if it were beating to the invisible tempo of a wardrum. My hands felt shaky, my breath labored and heavy.

"Is he awake?" I heard one voice that sounded like it belonged to Snotlout.

"I think...maybe," said the voice of Astrid. "Hiccup?"

"Fine…" I choked out. "M'fine."

"Uh-huh," said Astrid. "Yeah. Tell us that when you can keep your eyes open. What's up with you, Hiccup? You got a death wish, or something?"

Being the overly stubborn person I was, I forced my eyes open and stared right at her, almost daring her to say something otherwise. She and Snotlout were both sitting in front of me, looking a mix between worried and relieved.

"I'm fine," I said. My voice was still raspy and harsh, but it was easier to speak then it had been a few seconds ago. I winced as another wave of pounding pain pulsed through my head. "What happened?" I asked.

"The Skrill got you pretty good," said Snotlout. "It was cool."

"Snotlout!" said Astrid.

"But then of course I realized how serious it was, and then I was as worried as ever," Snotlout quickly added.

"That doesn't explain much," I admitted.

"You took a lightning bolt to the head," said Astrid. She paused. "Um...again."

"Yeah, again," I said. I winced as I recalled the first time, although that time had seemed so less painful. It had knocked me out first thing, so I didn't feel the pain, but for this time, I was conscious during the entire strike.

That must have been it.

But where were we now?

"Where are we?" I questioned.

"In a cave," said Astrid. I suddenly felt something nuzzle me, and I weakly placed my hand on Toothless' head in a reassuring manner, although I wasn't quite sure he bought it.

"What happened after the strike?" I asked.

"Stormfly lead the Skrill away," said Astrid. "We haven't seen either one of them since. Hookfang is right outside the cave, still unconscious, but otherwise unharmed, so as soon as he's conscious, we can get back to Berk. Toothless' prosthetic tail fin is fried, too, so no help there. You're too weak to do anything-"

"I'm fine," I insisted, but I was lying through my teeth. I was quite certain that if I stood, I wouldn't be able to remain doing so for more than a few seconds, and even if I somehow _did _manage to do that, a tiny shove would easily push me back down again.

"Uh-huh," said Astrid. "Right. You're fine, and I'm Chief of Berk."

I frowned at her, and she looked back at me, a satisfied grin flashing on her face. I make a move to get up, but only to get pushed down again by Astrid. I wasn't strong enough to fight her on a _normal _day, much less when I was feeling this weak.

"This is...really not fair," I mumbled.

"Sorry," said Astrid. "How do you feel? Honestly, Hiccup, no lies."

"Like I've been mauled over by a Night Fury and poisoned at the same time, but other than that, good," I said, and I was speaking truthfully. Astrid didn't seem convinced, but maybe it was just as well.

"So what are we going to do, Hiccup?" said Snotlout. "We're kind of stuck here, because we can't get Toothless back to Berk, and we can't trust Hookfang to go get help...and no one even knows where we are."

"I...I don't know," I admitted. I couldn't think clearly at that moment. Toothless couldn't fly, Hookfang was unconscious, Stormfly was gone, I could barely move, the Outcasts were who-knew-where, and there was a wild Skrill on the loose.

Perfect.

"For now," said Astrid, breaking me from my negative thoughts, "let's just...try and get some sleep. We'll figure it out in the morning, since it is quite obvious doing it right now won't do anything useful."

I nodded. One of the things I liked about Astrid was that she knew when to take charge, and she did so automatically when something was wrong with me. I appreciated it more than she realized.

Snotlout grumbled something under his breath and got to his feet. "Well," he said, "you two do that, _I'm _going to check on Hookfang."

Astrid and I watched until Snotlout walked out of the cave. Then, I turned back to Astrid.

"What's his problem again?" I asked, genuinely wondering.

"He's just mad," said Astrid. "It was technically his fault Hookfang crashed. He wasn't looking where he was going, and then you were struck by the lightning...he would never admit it, Hiccup, but he was terrified."

"Terrified, huh?" I asked. Astrid nodded. "Ooookay," I said. "That's a first."

"He cares about you, Hiccup, even though he doesn't act like it," said Astrid. "You know, Hiccup, we thought you were dead, when we saw that lightning hit you...the way you just stood there for a few seconds, and then collapsed...it terrified us both."

"I guess I do tend to do that a lot," I said. "Terrify you…"

"I'm not joking."

"I never _said _you were joking."

"Well, you don't seem to be taking it seriously."

"I am." I sighed and put my head in my hands. "Astrid, you know I am," I said. "I'm just still trying to think of a way to get back to Berk, and find the Skrill, before the Outcasts do."

"We can think about that _tomorrow_," said Astrid. "You should rest."

"Astrid, I'm fine," I lied.

"Yep," said Astrid, and shook her head. "I ain't buying it, Dragon Boy."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" I asked.

She didn't offer an answer. "Go to sleep or something," she said.

"So demanding," I muttered, yet did as I was told.


	5. Chapter 5

**Shout-outs next chapter, since at the moment, I am really drawn on a blank. This is my SECOND update today, and I hope you are all enjoying this so far! :D Enjoy! **

The next time I woke up, I felt remarkably better than I had before. Sure, my head was still pounding like mad, and my hearing and vision were still trying to return fully, but hey, at least I had more energy. That was an improvement.

I stood up, finding Snotlout and Astrid no where to be seen. I spun in a complete circle; it wasn't only Astrid and Snotlout, but Toothless was gone, too.

"Hello?" I called out, but there was no response. "Toothless? Astrid? Snotlout?" Now, I was getting fairly worried. Where were they?

Wait a minute. Hookfang. Maybe they were outside trying to rouse Hookfang. It was a long shot, but I still tried it, rushing outside as fast as my shaking legs - that is to say _leg_ and prosthetic - could take me.

I stopped as soon as I made it outside. Then, I gasped, my eyes widening. Hookfang was gone, but there were large prints in the snow, along with a few arrows sticking out of the ground, and some bolas.

They were attacked.

_HICCUP HADDOCK YOU IDIOTIC FOOL! _I mentally scolded myself.

One of the arrows, I saw, was pinning a piece of parchment to the ice. I quickly moved over to it, taking caution as I removed the arrow and picked up the note. I unfolded it, and then read what it said to myself.

_Dragon conqueror; _

_I have your friends. Turn yourself into the Outcasts on Outcast island or they all die. _

_-Alvin the Treacherous _

And so naturally, I did the one thing I knew what to do.

I lifted my head, looked into the sky, and screamed, "DAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRNN IIIIIIIIITTTTT!" at the top of my lungs.

I fell to my knees, crumpling the piece of paper in my hands and throwing it into the ocean. I slammed my fist on the ground and grunted from the pain it brought, but then ignored it a second later. My friends were hostages of the Outcasts.

I breathed heavily, my body still recovering from the Skrill's lightning. Once I finally managed to pull myself to my feet, I looked out into the sky, hearing a roar emanate from it. Squinting, I made out two figures; the figure of Stormfly, and then…

The Skrill.

I was doomed.

Lightning lit up the sky as the Skrill came towards the island, hot on Stormfly's tail. I could ride the Nadder; I trained her originally. I had no problem riding her. Now, the Skrill might have been a bit more of a problem…

"COME ON, STORMFLY!" I shouted. "You can make it, girl!" If she could make it here, I could get on her back, and leave. Of course, the Skrill could still follow, but then we could lose it easily, rescue Snotlout, Astrid, Hookfang and Toothless from Outcast Island, and then leave. We could chase the Skrill on a later date.

"STORMFLY!" I shouted. "COME ON, STORMFLY! YOU CAN DO IT!"

The Nadderhead roared, just barely dodging a lightning bolt. This was it. If Stormfly didn't make it, no one would. The Skrill would kill me after Stormfly, and then the Outcasts would kill the others.

I had to distract the Skrill, or else it would be too late.

I grabbed my dagger and threw it straight at the Lightning Dragon when it got close enough. Of course, it was an accurate shot; I wasn't intending to hit the dragon; just buy time for Stormfly. The Skrill roared and swerved out of the way, narrowly avoiding it.

I ran towards the Nadder as soon as she touched the ice; I jumped on her back with surprising ease, ignored the pounding in my head, and then told Stormfly to take off. She did so instantly, leaving the icy landscape.

The Skrill roared in our direction, and followed instantly.

_Yes yes, Hiccup, _an annoying voice said in my head. _NOW THE SKRILL WILL BLAST YOU INTO OBLIVION! _

I ignored my negative thoughts and focused on giving commands out to the dragon I was riding. Stormfly spun out of the way as a lightning streak headed straight for us. I gripped the saddlehorn, trying to keep from flying off.

I looked behind me; and there was the Skrill.

"Hey there, Mr. Bad Tempered," I said. "You've been asleep for a long time once more, now haven't you?"

The Skrill growled.

"So...I guess you're a little...cranky?" I asked.

In response, the Skrill blasted lightning straight at us. Stormfly avoided it, but just _- just - _barely.

"You know!" I called out to the Skrill. "That last blast was...a _little _close, to the one good leg…"

The Skrill fired at us again. Stormfly dodged, but the second time, I couldn't hold on. I still felt woozy and dizzy from the lightning strike the previous day, and the flying wasn't really helping at all.

So, I found myself falling towards the ocean. I heard Stormfly yelp, and watched as she came towards me, trying to catch me before I hit the ocean. The Skrill followed Stormfly as Stormfly followed me, down, towards the sea.

Stormfly grabbed my arm in one of her claws just before I hit the water. She pulled up a second later, spinning out of the way to avoid another lightning strike from the Skrill. After a roaring fest, Mr. Bad Tempered followed us.

I could almost _feel _my arm slipping out of socket. We needed to land, and soon.  
>I looked to the left, and saw a sea stack. If we could land, maybe, just maybe, I could train the Skrill. If I could train it, then...wow, that would be beneficial in so many different ways.<p>

But then, of course, if I _didn't _train it...well...let's just not finish that thought.

"STORMFLY, LAND!" I shouted. The Nadder instantly knew what I was talking about, and turned to alight on the sea stack, the Skrill close by.

Stormfly dropped me on the small, island-like rock sticking out of the ocean. I landed on my bad arm and yelped in pain. I didn't have time to feel sorry for myself, though, as the Skrill was advancing quickly.

It landed in front of me and roared. I didn't even flinch. Stormfly moved to stand behind me protectively, ready to fight. I patted her nose gently. I was going to try and train this rogue dragon. I had trained the "unholy offspring of lightning and death itself." How hard could training a Skrill really be?

The moment came. I held out my hand slowly, and waited.


	6. Chapter 6

**Shout-outs: **

**HiccupHaddockIII: UGH ALVIN GO AWAY! NO ONE LIKES YOU! **

**silverwolvesarecool: I LIVE TO DESTROY PEOPLE WITH CLIFFHANGERS! Lol, nope, actually I like butterflies. :D **

**TheLastNightFury777: Aha! :D Yeah, I loved that part. :) **

**AnimeAngel: The art wasn't done by me. It was done by silverwolvesarecool, and I'm glad you like it. :) **

**Night Fury15: YEAH I AGREE! *people staring at Night Fury15 and me awkwardly* What? Did someone draw on my face again? **

**xFaerieValkyriex: You got this, dude! **

**Silver Electricity: AHA! PROVEN IN HTTYD2! When will you learn your lesson, Hiccup? XD! **

I slowly reached my hand out to the rogue dragon; the Skrill wasn't having it, though. It roared, trying to make itself look more intimidating than it really was. Stormfly screeched, ready to jump in and fight that Skrill for all it was worth as soon as I let her.

"It's okay," I said, walking slowly towards the Skrill. Wow, this was terrifying. This dragon could _easily _fry me alive, along with probably half of Berk, and here I was approaching it, and moreover, trying to _train _it?

Maybe Astrid was right. Maybe I _did _have a death wish.

The Skrill growled at me once more, looking ready to alight itself with lightning once more. If that happened, then it was it. I would never be able to train this Skrill. If I didn't do it now, there wasn't a possibility I could do it later.

"It's okay," I said. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise." I took another step towards the Skrill, and it growled. I didn't falter, though; Dragon Training was something I was good at. I was used to it, and not afraid to do it, either.

Stormfly growled, ready to attack. The Skrill did the same, and for a second, I was afraid that it was over; that it was goodbye, Hiccup Haddock. I could just imagine Snotlout at my funeral:

_He was a good cousin, but was stupid enough to think he could train a Skrill. And that's kind of why we're here now. _

No, seriously, that's probably what Snotlout would have said.

Before I could make a move, however, something pressed against my palm. I released a breath I didn't know I was holding and gazed back at the Skrill, and gasped. It opened its eyes, looking at me as if I were…

It's trainer.

It worked. I had trained the Skrill.

"OH, _YES_ IT WORKED!" I shouted, fist-pumping. Behind me, Stormfly squawked and bounced around happily, coming over to sniff and investigate the Skrill.

"You need a name," I said to the Skrill as I watched it sniff Stormfly's head in curiosity. "Um...how about...Flashy?"

The Skrill looked at me as if I had pulled the pin out of a grenade.

"No good?" I said. The Skrill appeared to shake his head. "Okay...how about...Spiritflash?" I offered. The Skrill looked like he was genuinely thinking it over. Then, at length, he growled happily.

"Okay then!" I said. "Spiritflash it is!" I suddenly remembered the note from the Outcasts. We had to get to Outcast Island, before Alvin and his band of barbarians did something to Astrid, Snotlout, Hookfang and Toothless.

"Come on, Spiritflash," I said, mounting him after making sure he had dropped his lightning deal. "Let's go to Outcast island, and show those crummy soldiers what we're made of." Spiritflash roared as if it were the best idea in the world. Then, after I gave Stormfly the "follow" command, we took off, towards Outcast Island.

We had some friends to save.

I was all in for lightning; my best friend _was _the offspring of lightning and death itself, and I had been struck by lightning twice in my life. But riding on the back of a Skrill was a tad but overkill. However, I didn't think too much about it, nor did I care either way. If I didn't make it to Outcast Island soon, Alvin would start killing my friends, one by one. Or, maybe, he would wait until I got there, so then he could make me _watch _as he killed…

"Cut it out!" I yelled at myself. My negative train of thought wasn't exactly helping the situation. Stormfly and Spiritflash both looked at me with confusion, and I waved them off. I had to stop talking to myself.

We headed straight for Outcast Island as if there were no tomorrow. My friends were in danger, and if I didn't save them, then no one would, and they would die by the hands of Alvin the Treacherous.

I felt rage race through my veins as I thought about my arch nemesis. Alvin the Treacherous, Chief of the Outcasts, who always tried to capture either me, or another Berkian he could use against me as bait. And sometimes, it even worked, and he succeeded in drawing me in, just so he could strike.

I had so much hatred and anger towards that one man, it was almost unbelievable.

When Outcast Island was finally in sight, I landed Spiritflash, Stormfly moving to land beside the Skrill. I dismounted, the dizzy feeling returning to my being, only this time, it was far worse. Flying hadn't been beneficial at all. It hadn't helped my headaches, and seemed to just make them worse. I groaned slightly and pressed a hand against my head, trying to abate some of the pain.

The dragons looked at me with worry and confusion. I offered them both a reassuring smile, although it turned into a wince shortly afterwards.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Just let me sit down for a minute." I sank to the ground right there, my hands gently rubbing my temples. It really didn't help much, but it helped enough. Spiritflash and Stormfly sat on either side of me, their keen eyes and ears looking for any Outcasts who could have been waiting to ambush us.

After about five minutes, once my dizziness dwindled down into something small and manageable I could hold on to for the time being, I got back to my feet. My headache was still there in all its fury, but at least I didn't feel like I was going to collapse just by taking a mere, simple step. The dragons got to their feet as well, looking around, still searching for Outcasts.

"Come on," I said, looking at Spiritflash and Stormfly. They lifted their heads to look at me, growling slightly. "Let's go free the others."

I turned, and the dragons followed me as we made our way through Outcast Island.


	7. Chapter 7

**So yeah, I am crazy. :) This is my FIRST update today, shout-outs next chapter. :) Enjoy! :D **

We headed straight for the Outcast prison, where I knew the others were going to be. I had been imprisoned on Outcast island a fair few times in my life; I knew the drill, how it worked and everything, and I even more so knew the specific prisons for the specific prisoners.

After making sure that the coast was clear, I motioned for Spiritflash and Stormfly to follow me. We walked slowly and stealthily through the tunnels that made up the Outcast prison. On either sides of us were dragons, locked in cages, roaring and screeching in fury, longing to be let out more than anything else in the world.

We passed a Changewing; I couldn't help but stop for just a moment. The poor dragon was thinner than it should have been; if I had had enough time, I could have actually counted its ribs from where I stood. Its scales were paling slowly, and there were clear scars on its back from some sort of torture weapon…

I shook my head to shake myself from my thoughts and then continued on. I felt terrible for the dragon, and couldn't believe the Outcasts would stoop so low as to do something such as what they did, but there was nothing I could have done about it. I couldn't have freed the dragons, and even if I could have, that wouldn't have done anything. Most of them had damaged wings, in which they could never fly again, while others had other problems, like mental madness, and…

"Hey, you!" I heard a guard shout. I turned just in time to watch Spiritflash spit a small bit of lightning at two Outcast soldiers. The two men fell to the ground, unconscious but not dead, as the lightning subsided at length.

"Thanks, Spiritflash," I said. I felt a tiny bit of pity towards the Outcast soldiers, since I knew what it felt like to be struck by lightning, but then I thought once more about the friends they had taken away from me, and I quickly forgot about my pity. I took one of the daggers from the Outcast's belt, and held it out in front of me. I had lost my other dagger on the glacier; I needed a new weapon.

We ran into four more Outcast guards, in which Stormfly and Spiritflash took out without a problem at all. I didn't even have to do anything. The dragons did it on their own, in which, I was thankful. My headaches were intensifying again, my vision blurring just slightly, my steps shaky and uneven.

However, I forced myself on; I couldn't stop and rest again. Not when we were so close. We were so close while, at the same time, so far.

As we came up to another cell, I ran up to it and sighed with relief. Toothless and Hookfang were both in the cell, tied up in tight chains, trapped beyond hope of escaping on their own.

"Toothless! Hookfang!" I shouted to them both. The dragons lifted their heads, and then roared in happiness.

"Hang on," I said, my hand holding the dagger scrambling as I tried to pick the lock. "I'll get you out-"

Suddenly, something grabbed me from behind. I shrieked and spun around, coming face to face with an Outcast soldier who had somehow managed to make it past Spiritflash and Stormfly.

"You're not going to do anything," he hissed in my face.

"Oh really?" I challenged. "Watch me."

Spiritflash whacked the guard, sending him tumbling away. More guards filed in, until there were a total of ten. Stormfly and Spiritflash could take most of them, but then I would have to fight as well, which, I knew, would be dangerous in my state.

But I had to do it.

For Astrid, Snotlout, Toothless, Hookfang, and the entire whole of Berk as well.

I advanced on an Outcast, wielding my dagger as if I actually knew how to use it. Fighting was not one of my greatest skills; I wasn't very good, frankly. But at least I could keep myself alive with a dagger in the middle of a fight.

The Outcast went for my legs; I jumped, his axe slipping right underneath my feet (that is to say foot, I suppose). He screamed in fury and came at me again. I dodged, using my size against him. I was quicker than he was, which gave me a distinct advantage.

But then again, he had a bigger weapon, and better training than I had, which were advantages on his part.

As I made a move to get back into fighting position, my headaches throwing me off, the Outcast swung his axe another time. I ducked enough so the blow wasn't fatal, but the flat of the axe still smacked into the side of my head.

I tumbled to the floor, overwhelmed by pain now. I heard the dagger clatter to the floor a few feet away, and then the sound of fire and lightning blasting through the air. I was sure I was going to lose consciousness, when I felt something nudge me.

Spiritflash and Stormfly were in front of me, trying to get me to get up again. I stood shakily, my legs feeling ready to give way at any moment, as I reached for my dagger once more. The Outcast soldiers all laid unconscious on the ground; no more having to deal with _them_.

I picked the lock to Toothless and Hookfang's cell until finally, it gave away. As soon as the lock clattered to the floor, I yanked the door open and rushed inside, followed by Stormfly and Spiritflash.

Toothless and Hookfang roared happily at their rescue, and our victory.

"Shh," I said. "We don't want anymore Outcasts to know we're here."

Spiritflash and Stormfly took to biting through the bonds with their teeth while I cut the muzzles off their snouts. Once the dragons were free again, Toothless started licking me, probably, no doubt, relieved that I was alright.

"Okay, okay, I get it, buddy," I said, gently pushing him away. "Come on, we have to find Snotlout and Astrid now."

We turned, and continued down the corridor.


	8. Chapter 8

**Shout-outs to all you awesome people: **

**silverwolvesarecool: Thanks for rooting for me! :D I love writing this story! It's a blast! :D **

**xFaerieValkyriex: YES I WANT A SKRILL IN SEASON THREE! I WANT A SNAPTRAPPER IN SEASON THREE! I WANT THEM TO TRAIN A SNAPTRAPPER AND A SKRILL IN SEASON THREE! :D **

**Omegaman17: Seriously, Hiccup! Stop getting in all these life-or-death situations already! :D **

**TheLastNightFury777: That just about sums it up. BOOM CRASH BANG WHAMP. :D **

**Silver Electricity: Hiccup Horrendous, stop getting yourself knocked in the head, _NOW_. :) **

**HiccupHaddockIII: I love ALL da cliffhangers!...LOL, NOOOOPE! :D **

I really hoped we weren't ambushed by Outcasts, because that would have, for lack of better words, been terrible.

The four dragons and I continued down, searching in the cells for any sign of our friends. They were here somewhere. Alvin wouldn't have put them anywhere else, and he certainly wouldn't have expected I'd come and rescue them without turning myself into him first.

You see, Alvin may be the leader of the Outcasts, and he may be a great fighter, but he wasn't very strong in the brain department. Sure, he captured me that one time by building a fake Night Fury and implanting fake maps to the Isle of Night in my possession, but other then that, I could easily outsmart him.

"Astrid? Snotlout?" I called as we walked down towards the last few prison cells. The dragons walked in front of me, just in case we came across another Outcast soldier. My headaches were getting worse; I felt as if I could collapse at any moment, and that one Outcast's blow to the head he gave me wasn't helping at all. But, I forced myself on, purely because I was stubborn.

"Astrid!" I shouted. "Snotlout!"

"Hiccup?" two tentative voices called back.

I ran to the cell from whence they emanated from, and found my two friends, staring at me, their hands gripping the bars.

"You shouldn't be here!" Astrid shouted.

"Neither should you!" I said.

"No, you don't understand!" said Astrid. "The Outcasts are waiting for you! You're who they want!"

"I know that!" I said, trying to pick the lock with my dagger. "Alvin tells me every so often!" The lock was more sophisticated than the first one. I couldn't pick it. I groaned in frustration and stabbed the keyhole with the weapon. Nothing happened.

"Stormfly!" I heard Astrid shout. The Nadder chirped happily. I guessed that they hadn't seen the Skrill yet, because they weren't freaking out.

"Hookfang!" said Snotlout.

"This is useless," I said, sheathing the dagger. "Spiritflash, would you mind?"

"Spiritflash?" Astrid looked at me and frowned as she spoke. "Who's Spiritflash?"

As if on cue, the Skrill rammed into the door to the prison. Astrid and Snotlout shrieked and sprang back in surprise.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted.

"Uh...Astrid and Snotlout, meet Spiritflash," I said casually. "Spiritflash, meet Astrid and Snotlout."

Spiritflash only grunted and smashed the door to the cell again. The second time, it gave away altogether. Astrid and Snotlout ran out and to their dragons, staring at Spiritflash, and then averting their gazes to me.

"What?" I asked. "Did I do something?"

"You trained a _Skrill!?" _Astrid exclaimed.

"Yep, I did," I said.

"But...but...HOW!?" said Snotlout.

"We can talk about the Skrill later," I said, eying the corridor behind me, expecting to see an Outcast soldier come forth at any moment. "Right now, we have to go." My right arm hung limply at my side. I was sure that it was dislocated now.

"Right," said Astrid. "Let's get going. Are you okay, though, Hiccup? You look pale."

I gave her an "are-you-serious?" look.

"Well, pale-er," said Astrid.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Come on, let's get going before those Outcasts decide to come back." I turned and bolted back up the way from whence we came, Astrid and Snotlout running beside me, the dragons running behind us.

We didn't run into trouble...until we reached the end of the corridor. Outcast soldiers were standing, forming their ranks and holding together, blocking our only way out. We turned around just in time to see more Outcasts flank in from the opposite direction.

We were surrounded, trapped, my right arm was dislocated, Toothless' tail was completely fried, Astrid and Snotlout had obviously been stripped of their weapons, and the dragons could only do so much. The only person with a weapon was me, and I didn't know how to use it.

Rainbows. Pure _rainbows_.

"Hey, Dragon Boy," said Astrid, her tone almost sing-song. "Now would be a _great _time to launch a master plan, or something."

"Currently working on it," I said, drawing my dagger again, the hand that held it shaking. Boy, was I glad I was left-handed, or I _really _wouldn't have stood a chance.

I looked in front of me, just as some of the Outcasts parted to let their leader through. Alvin the Treacherous stood there, sword drawn and at the ready, his soldiers lined up behind him.

"Well look who it is!" he said. "The Dragon Conqueror!"

I tightened my grip on my weapon subconsciously. "And look who it is," I said. "Alvin the Treacherous."

He laughed; it was a barking sound that barely sounded human. "I bet you're surprised to see me, aye, Hiccup?" Alvin asked.

"Not really," I said, gesturing to the area around me with my good hand. "This is where you live." I looked to the side, just in time to watch Snotlout and Astrid lift sticks off the ground that could easily be used as weapons.

Behind me, the dragons growled. Spiritflash bared his teeth while Toothless stood directly behind me, ready to fight. Hookfang and Stormfly stood behind their riders, hissing and snarling at the Outcasts in front of us.

"Aye, you trained the Skrill!" said Alvin. Spiritflash hissed. "That's mighty impressive, Hiccup."

"Not too bad yourself," I said. "I mean, surprise attacks that are absolutely no surprise at all, bringing your men who _technically _aren't the best fighters-"

"You know, Hiccup," said Alvin, "with your knowledge of dragons, and my knowledge of warfare, we could make quite the team!" Oh boy, I knew where _this _was going. "What do you think?"

"Um…" I started. "Insane...demented...delusional..._stupid?_"

"Alright then!" said Alvin after a moment's hesitation. "I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. You're a smart boy, Hiccup." He laughed once more. "You know I can't let you leave this island."

"And you're a smart, murderous, _barbarian_, Alvin," I said. "You know I have a better plan than this."

All at once, Alvin turned to his men and shouted, "NOW!"

I turned to Astrid, Snotlout and the dragons, and then told then, "LET'S GO!" at just about the same time. Then, the Outcasts advanced, and we met them in battle.


	9. Chapter 9

**OKAY, so right now my fanfiction account is glitching a little bit, but I just wanted to say that the cover for this story was made by the incredibly awesome TheLastNightFury777. The Cover to "Animal House" was made by the same user. The cover for "Remember Me" was done by the super fantastic silverwolvesarecool. I cannot draw, so any covers you see are not done by me. :D Thanks to all you amazing people, shout-outs next chapter! :D **

The Outcasts were _absolutely insane_. And even that is an underestimate.

I ducked as an Outcast swung an axe at me. My right arm hurt like crazy, but I ignored it. In war, you have to expect to feel pain. Because if you aren't expecting it, when it finally does come, you will be taken back, giving your attacker a distinct advantage.

And so as the weapons clashed against each other, the dragons roars echoing down the long tunnels as Berkian fought Outcast, I waited for what I knew would come.

Alvin came at me first, because I was who he wanted. If he had me, then getting the others wouldn't be too much of a problem, if he even wanted them. He had said in the note that he wanted me, but of course, he was treacherous. His word meant nothing.

"You're going to regret not taking my offer, Hiccup!" Alvin threatened as he swung at me with his sword.

"Uh-huh," I said. "Yep. Sure."

"Don't act so smug, Dragon Conqueror," said Alvin, parrying with me. My dagger was small, and suddenly, I felt pathetic against Alvin, but yet, I fought on. "We'll see how smug you act when you watch Berk destroyed right before your eyes."

"Really?" I asked with fake interest. I didn't even try to hold it back. "That'd be a sight. You destroying Berk...never gonna happen, Alvin, you know that."

"Why, certainly," said Alvin. I knew he was being sarcastic the minute he opened his mouth. I knew how to catch sarcasm; I used it every so often. "You know, your sarcasm rubs off on someone quicker than a Speed Stinger runs to catch its next meal," said Alvin as he laughed as he swung at me once more, parrying. "Speaking of Speed Stingers," said Alvin, "I have a few of them here. Maybe if you train them, I'll let you go."

"Pfft," I rolled my eyes. "Of _course _you'll let me go, and I have both my feet. You don't want to let me go, Alvin. You want me to stay here forever, where you can torture me for the rest of my life."

"Clever boy," said Alvin. "But Hiccup, that's exactly why I can't let you leave."

"Right, right, been through this before," I said. "Toothless, please finish him for me."

Toothless came up from behind me and pounced Alvin, pinning him to the ground. Satisfied, knowing the dragon had the upper hand, I turned and ran to help Astrid and Snotlout.

"This is your plan, Hiccup?" Astrid said, knocking an Outcast off balance with her stick as she spoke.

"Yeah," I said, parrying with an Outcast soldier. "Pretty good, huh?"

"No, actually, it's not," said Astrid.

"And if you think _this _one is bad," I said, "wait until you see my plan for getting out of here."

"Sounds dangerous," said Astrid.

"Love it!" shouted Snotlout.

Spiritflash roared and lit the corridor with his lightning. Outcast soldiers were blown off their feet, tumbling to the ground left and right. Stormfly and Hookfang were taking care of the ones who were still conscious while Toothless fought off Alvin.

Actually, Toothless _finished _off Alvin. The Outcast leader laid unconscious (probably not dead) on the floor, his soldiers taking a moment to stare in shock.

"GO, GO, GO!" I shouted, pushing Astrid and Snotlout towards the top of the tunnel. They ran with little to no hesitation, flanked by their dragons and soon after, me. The remaining Outcasts charged with a scream of fury as they ran after us, gaining on us quickly.

I turned around, facing the soldiers. I made a promise to myself at that moment, that if they caught up with us, I would fight, just to make sure Astrid and the others got out safely. I turned around, just as Snotlout and Astrid, followed by Toothless, Hookfang and Spiritflash, made it to the top of the tunnel, just about to run out.

Astrid suddenly noticed that I wasn't making a move to follow.

"Hiccup, come on!" she shouted.

"I can't, Astrid!" I shouted back to her. I could hear the footsteps of the Outcasts, pounding against the floor of the tunnel, echoing off the walls, their war cries ringing in the same way. Their shouts rang through my ears, worsening my headache, not that I cared at that moment. "It's me they want! If they have me, you can escape!" I called to Astrid, Snotlout, and the dragons.

"What are you talking about!?" Astrid shouted, almost angrily, although I thought I had heard her voice crack on the last word. "Get over here, you idiotic Haddock! We can still escape, with you!"

There wouldn't be enough time, I knew that already, and I knew that Astrid did as well. I couldn't run to the top before the Outcasts overcame me. I had to hold them back long enough for Astrid, Snotlout and the dragons to escape.

"RUN!" I shouted to my friends. "THERE'S NO TIME! GO!"

"NO!" Astrid yelled back.

"GO, ASTRID!" I nearly screamed. The Outcast footsteps were getting louder and louder...they were coming up on us, and fast. Soon, it would be too late, for any of us...none of would escape if Astrid and Snotlout didn't get out of there right then. "NOW! HURRY! GO WITHOUT ME, NOW!"

"Astrid, we have to go!" said Snotlout. He was my cousin. He knew there was no reasoning with me once I got my mind set on something.

"If you die, Hiccup…" Astrid threatened, "...so help me, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, I will kill you."

"Duly noted!" I shouted back to her. The Outcasts were practically on me now. I only had a few seconds before they got there, and I would be forced to fight. "Now go!"

As Astrid, Snotlout, Hookfang, Stormfly and Spiritflash turned and ran off, Toothless ran and stood behind me, growling, his teeth unsheathed and set for the ready. I stared at the area ahead of us, just as the Outcasts started to show themselves.

"Let's get 'em, Toothless," I said.

And we charged.


	10. Chapter 10

**So ya, this is my THIRD or FORTH update today (I can't remember, aha). Shout-outs: **

**silverwolvesarecool: Cliffy cliffy cliffy! :D Yeah, TheLastNightFury777 did a really good job on the cover. :D You did great, too, on Remember Me. :D **

**TheLastNightFury777: You're welcome! You deserve it! :D I put a shout-out to you in the summary, now that my account is working again. :D **

I ran towards my enemies, ignoring my pounding head and throbbing arm. Toothless met the Outcasts before I did, taking most of them by surprise. I worked my way through them, making sure none of them passed. I had to give Astrid, Snotlout and the dragons time to escape, and this was the only way.

I ducked as someone swung at me with a sword. I parried with my dagger and caught him off guard long enough to run past him. Toothless whacked the soldier with his tail, sending the Outcast flying against a wall, where he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Alvin the Treacherous was among them, walking straight towards me as I turned in his direction, our eyes locking. He must have regained consciousness. Man, I wished he hadn't. Now, it was going to be all the harder.

He laughed. "I should kill you right now, boy!" he shouted. "But I'm not going to do that. Not until I am one hundred percent sure I can't get you to train my dragons for me."

I laughed, but it was forced. If Astrid and Snotlout weren't off Outcast island by now, and then were somehow captured, then Alvin would have a way to persuade me into training them, using my friends as a reason. I really hoped that they didn't suddenly come back and try to rescue me.

"Alvin," I said, "please try to understand that I would rather _DIE _before I trained your dragons!"

"Then die you must, if that is truly the way you want it," said Alvin, now running. I parried with him, but my weapon wasn't exactly the best in the world. It was a dagger, no longer than my forearm, while Alvin's weapon was as big as _me_, and loads sharper than any weapon I had ever laid eyes on.

With one swing, the dagger was no longer in my hands, clattering to the floor a few feet away. With my weapon gone, Alvin had an advantage. He pushed me to the ground and held his sword dangerously close to my body, probably deciding whether or not it would be wise to just kill me there and then.

I looked to the side, watching as the Outcasts overwhelmed Toothless, pinning him to the ground so he couldn't help me.

"TOOTHLESS!" I shouted, making a move to get up, only to be stopped by Alvin's weapon.

"You're not going anywhere," said Alvin. "Not until you train my dragons."

"_Never_," I spat the words out as if they were toxic.

"Very well then," said Alvin. He pulled his foot back, and kicked me. I screamed, gripping the ground in front of me harshly. No, I couldn't show weakness to this Outcast. I wouldn't.

"Train my dragons," said Alvin.

"N...No," I said.

He kicked me a second time. I just barely stifled a scream. I wouldn't give Alvin the pleasure. I wouldn't show weakness. No, not ever.

"Train my dragons, Hiccup, and I'll let you go," said Alvin. "And I'll let your dragon go, too. You wouldn't want to see him dead, would you?"

I lifted my eyes to Toothless. The dragon was still struggling underneath the grip of the Outcast soldiers. I felt tears well up in my eyes from both pain and fear of what the Outcasts would do to Toothless if I refused.

If I refused, Toothless and I would both die slow, painful deaths.

However, if I _did _decide that I would give in to Alvin's commands, Alvin would let us go, just to use the dragons I trained against Berk, killing not only Toothless and me, but the whole of Berk as well.

"Train my dragons, Dragon Conqueror," said Alvin. "Really, is it that hard?"

"I'd rather die a Berkian then live a traitor," I pretty much snarled. "I will never train your dragons for you, Alvin, so give it up."

Alvin looked taken back, but I could tell he had been expecting this reaction from me the entire time.

"Very well then, Hiccup," said Alvin. "I can't let you leave here alive." He raised his sword, and I braced myself for what I knew would come next.

Pain exploded in my abdomen. This time, I couldn't stop myself screaming. I heard Toothless roar, followed by the grunts and groans of Outcast soldiers. I fell to the ground left of me sideways, my good arm gripping my stomach, my other arm doing its best to copy.

"Watch the teeth!" I heard an Outcast shout. Toothless. They must have been talking about Toothless. I opened my eyes, just to see Alvin still standing over me, his sword coated in blood. My blood. I felt sick suddenly, on top of being injured.

I looked past the Outcast leader to watch Toothless finally break free from their grasp, rushing towards me, knocking Alvin to the side.

"You...have to go...buddy…" I choked out, resting a hand on his head. "You need to...get out of here...without me."

Toothless roared. No, he wasn't going to leave me.

"Toothless, they'll kill you...if you don't…" I stated. The dragon didn't seem to care. He stepped over me, facing the Outcasts, snarling and growling, his teeth unsheathed, his eyes narrowed. The stubborn dragon was trying to protect me, probably at the cost of his own life. Despite the fact I so desperately wanted him to run and escape Outcast island, I was thankful for the support he was offering.

"Th...thanks, bud," I managed. He growled in acknowledgement. I knew he would rather _die _than leave me.

I felt the world around me fading into darkness, slowly and steadily, yet at the same time, all at once. Just as the Outcasts got ready to advance, blurry figures slammed into them, knocking them off their feet, some of them unconscious.

"WHAT IS GOING-" The voice of Alvin the Treacherous was cut off by a loud roar, emanating from one of the objects. I lifted my head and opened my eyes in time to watch a certain girl ram her axe handle into the Outcast's stomach, fazing him, but not hurting him.

Wait...certain girl…

Astrid?


	11. Chapter 11

**A, B, C, D, E, F, G, these chapters are so cliffy. One's suspense, one's action, one's better just by a fraction. Now I'm running for my life, because my reviewers are coming after me with a knife. :) Shout-outs next chapter. :) Enjoy! **

Wait a minute. Astrid wasn't supposed to be here! What was she doing!?

More roars followed, along with the sounds of dragons blasting fire everywhere. I closed my eyes once more, moaning against the pain that engulfed my being. I heard footsteps, and then someone was gripping my shoulder, trying to turn me over.

"Hiccup?" they said. Yep, definitely Astrid. Once she finally managed to roll me over on my back, she gasped. "Oh...oh my goodness…" she started, and then stopped, probably not being able to find the words to say. "SNOTLOUT! GET OVER HERE, NOW!" Astrid screamed. I heard frantic footsteps over the sounds of the battle raging around us, and then heard Snotlout gasp once he finally reached us.

"I'll kill Alvin for this," I heard my cousin say. "I'll kill Alvin!"

"Now's not the time, Snotlout!" said Astrid. "Help me get him on Stormfly."

I felt my cousin heft me into his arms, and I sucked in a sharp intake of breath to keep myself from screaming. No need to worry them even more than they already were.

"Toothless, Spiritflash, Hookfang, come on!" I heard Astrid shout. "The others will finish them off!"

Others? What others? What was going on?

"Hand him to me," said Astrid. "I have the supplies."

Supplies? What supplies were she talking about? Probably medical supplies, I figured.

I felt Snotlout's arms shift beneath me as he handed me over to Astrid. She took me gently, wrapping her arms around me to keep me on Stormfly's (or, I presumed it was Stormfly's, since she was Astrid's dragon) back.

"Where are we going?" said Snotlout.

"Away from here," said Astrid. "Come on, let's go."

The sounds of flapping wings and frantic roars met my ears. Then, a few seconds later, wind was blowing against my face, the sounds of the battle dying down until it was no longer in hearing range. We were flying.

"Hang on, Hiccup, hang on," Astrid whispered to me. She lifted my shirt slightly and pressed something to my wound. I gulped down a scream, although I did grab Astrid's arm in a death grip as if she were my lifeline.

"Oh my goodness, he's conscious," said Astrid, shock and worry lacing her voice, making it thick.

"He's _conscious!?" _shouted Snotlout. "Y-you mean...you mean he's feeling all of..._THIS!?_"

_You just gestured to all of me, _part of me wanted to say, had I been able to find my voice.

"We have to land," said Astrid. "Somewhere...we can't leave Toothless, and he can't fly. His prosthetic is damaged. And we need to get somewhere safe before Hiccup…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence before Snotlout and I knew what she was talking about.

I forced my eyes open, squinting at the sudden sunlight, and then looking up at Astrid. There were tear stains on her cheeks, along with more welling up in her eyes.

"Astrid?" I whimpered.

She looked down at me, concern and relief flashing in her eyes both at the same time. "You're okay," she told me. "You'll be okay, Hiccup, I promise."

As soon as she said that, I knew something was terribly wrong. Well, of course, I had already known something was wrong, but this only made me feel worse.

"Toothless…" I whispered.

"Toothless is fine," said Astrid. "He's following us from the ground."

I felt myself relax. At least Toothless was okay, even if I wasn't. I looked to the side and saw Spiritflash flying alongside Hookfang and Snotlout, looking to me in confusion and worry.

My eyelids flickered, and I felt myself growing dizzy and drowsy. My right arm was throbbing, my head pounding, my abdomen burning. I heard Astrid gasp, and she placed her free hand against my cheek, her other hand still holding a cloth to my wound. She gently turned my head so I could look at her, our eyes meeting, emerald green to sapphire blue.

"No, no, you have to stay awake, Hiccup," she said. "If you fall asleep, you might never wake up again."

Thanks for the encouraging words, Astrid.

"Nuh…" I mumbled. "Can't…"

"I know," said Astrid. "I know, but you have to stay awake. Please stay awake, Hiccup...Hiccup...look at me."

I looked up at her, still squinting, but now because my eyelids felt too heavy to keep open all the way.

"We'll land, and everything will be okay," said Astrid. "I promise. But you have to stay awake until then. Okay?" She pulled her hand away from my face and gripped my left hand in her own. "I need to try and stop the bleeding," she said. "You can squeeze my hand when it hurts."

I nodded subconsciously, trying to focus on Astrid instead of the pain in my body. She pressed the cloth harder to my wound, and I gripped her hand so hard I was afraid I was going to break her fingers. My breaths were erratic, my body shuddering whenever I took one too deep, because it hurt. Breathing too deeply hurt.

"Breathe, Hiccup," said Astrid. "Don't forget to breathe."

I nodded and rested my head against her chest, trying desperately to focus on something other than the pain. I listened to Astrid's heartbeat, trying to match my breathing to the steady thumping of her heart. She pressed against my wound once more, and I whimpered softly, squeezing her hand again. This time, she squeezed back, probably either reassuring me that she was there for me, or trying to reassure herself that I would be okay.

Probably.

"Try to relax, Hiccup, but stay awake," said Astrid. "Whatever you do, stay awake." I did as she told me, trying to steady my breathing while at the same time, trying to keep my attention off my pain.

Astrid had never really been the caring type, but I knew she cared about me. The worry I saw in her face as I looked up at her once more was something I had only seen a few times; whenever I was in danger. She was worried, and she cared, no matter how stoic she acted about it.

She was there for me, and I was happy for it. Because if I had been alone, I wouldn't have been able to do it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Just going to get this out there: I HAVE NOT SEEN BIG HERO 6 yet, so there are NO references to that movie so far in ANY of my fanfictions. :) Just so there's no question about it. :D Shout-outs: **

**Night Fury15: He too! Love Hiccstrid! I want there to be an episode in the new season of Dragons when Hiccup gets hurt really badly and Astrid is the only one around to take care of him. That would be awesome. :D **

**Silver Electricity: I LIKE ALFRED AND COFFEE! HAVE COFFEE! LATTE! YADDA YADDA YADDA WHEEEEEE! *bounces off walls* **

**xFaerieValkyriex: Ahaha! That is a brilliant idea! No shout-outs until they answer the riddle! Maybe...seems a little forced. Oh well. *shrugs* Every now and then, I'll have to do that, though, just for fun. HAHAHA! :D **

**AnimeAngel: I laughed so hard when you said *throws egg at Alvin* I know, I'm weird. *throws another one at Alvin***

**silverwolvesarecool: I'm glad you approve! :D **

"Hiccup?" asked Astrid. Her voice was shaky, and uncertain. "A-are you still with me?"

I managed to nod, despite the mounting pain and fogginess of my mind. I was glad she and Snotlout had come back for me and Toothless, with the Spiritflash, Stormfly, and Hookfang, but I still had tons of questions. I had guessed that by "supplies" Astrid had meant stuff in the medical department, since I knew for a fact that Snotlout hardly ever carried stuff such as that long with him.

However, I still wondered what Astrid had meant by "others." What "others" were finishing the Outcasts off? By the way it had looked, they appeared to have been dragons. Maybe Astrid and Snotlout left the prison, trained dragons, and then came back to use them against the Outcasts.

"You'll be okay," said Astrid. "You're strong, Hiccup, you know. You won't let something like this drag you down."

"I've...seen worse," I said, trying to smile, although I was quite certain it came out looking more like a grimace.

"Don't remind me," said Astrid, shaking her head. "Snotlout, do you see somewhere we could land and take shelter? Somewhere the Outcasts won't look for us?"

"A cave!" Snotlout shouted so loudly I actually winced. I shut my eyes again and squeezed Astrid's hand. She wasn't pressing against my abdomen anymore, her hand now resting on the side of my head as she tried to offer me comfort and keep me relaxed. I figured, since she wasn't working on my wound anymore, that she had stopped the bleeding, and probably wrapped it as well.

"Quiet down, Snotlout," Astrid hissed at my cousin. "He's disoriented. You're being too loud."

"I found a cave, right there!" said Snotlout, the second time quieter, yet still as frantic and excited sounding as ever. I didn't look where he was pointing; moving hurt, breathing hurt, and turning my head hurt. Astrid still held my hand in one hand, holding my head gently in the other, keeping me from moving anything too much at all.

"Lead the way, Snotlout," said Astrid. She didn't even look at him. Snotlout headed downwards, followed quickly by Stormfly and Spiritflash. I felt the wind stop; the dragons must have landed. I opened my eyes as Snotlout dismounted Hookfang, walking towards us and taking me from Astrid carefully.

He turned and began walking inside the cave, Astrid dismounting and running after him after grabbing Stormfly's saddlebag. Toothless caught up with us and followed us inside. Spiritflash and Stormfly stayed inside the cave, yet right at the front, guarding in case any Outcasts came along.

Astrid pulled a thin blanket out of the saddlebag and then laid it on the ground in front of her. Shortly afterwards, Snotlout was laying me down on top of it with gentleness I didn't know he possessed. I still couldn't keep from moaning in pain, my eyes squeezing shut again.

Astrid took my hand in hers for support, resting her other hand on my forehead. At that moment, I just wanted to sleep. I didn't want to do anything else. But then I knew I couldn't, because of what Astrid had said:

_If you fall asleep, you might never wake up again_.

Toothless took his place right beside me, nudging me before curling up next to me, slipping his head underneath my arm. It was the one that was dislocated, but I ignored the pain Toothless' action caused. He was trying to help me, and maybe, that was all that mattered.

"What's the first thing we do?" Snotlout asked.

"Well, I stopped the bleeding…" said Astrid. "I guess that was the most important thing...but now comes the hard part."

HARD PART!? WHAT WAS THE HARD PART!?

"H...Hard part…" I mumbled. "No hard part…" My mind was scrambled; I couldn't think straight. I knew exactly what had happened while, at the same time, having no clue at all on what was going on.

"How do you feel, Hiccup?" asked Astrid. "In general."

At first, I thought about brushing her off, telling her that I was okay, but what was the point of that? She was trying to help me, along with Snotlout and the other dragons. They were my friends, and it was clear they were worrying about me. I couldn't lie to them, and besides, it was quite obvious already that I wasn't alright.

"Terrible," I managed.

"Does it hurt?" Snotlout asked. "Wait...that was a stupid question…"

"Yeah, it kind of was," said Astrid. "Is there anything specific, Hiccup?"

Specific? Not exactly. I shook my head. "Everything hurts," I said.

"Uh-huh," said Astrid. "How much energy do you have on a one to five scale, one being you just ran around Berk thirty seven times without a break?"

"Um...two," I said. "Two and...a half...maybe? I dunno..."

"Okay," said Astrid. "Okay, Hiccup, I need to clean the wound."

Hard part. Okay, that explained it.

"It'll hurt, but I have to do it," said Astrid. "Okay?"

I nodded. I knew one thing for certain, and that was we didn't want the wound to get infected. It was already bad enough, losing so much blood...an infection could have well killed me if the wound didn't do it first.

She let go of my hand and started unraveling the bandages. I winced and groaned, swallowing hard, and Astrid apologized. At that moment, I really wished I could just sleep, but I couldn't. I had to keep myself awake, at least until Astrid finished cleaning my wound.

I felt the cold air hit my open stab wound, and I gulped down a scream. It hurt worse than I could have expected. Astrid dug through Stormfly's saddlebag while Snotlout sat across from her, looking helpless.

I watched Astrid take out a small vital. It was a disinfectant medicine, I realized. I knew it would help, but I also knew by experience that it would _hurt _just as much, if not quite possibly more.

She uncorked the bottle while turning her head away against the smell that emanated from it. She set some cloths aside for when she would need them, and then grabbed my hand again. Despite the pain, I was glad for her support, even if it was something as simple as holding my hand.

"Ready?" she asked. I wanted to shake my head, but instead, I found myself nodding. Then, Astrid poured some of the liquid over my wound, and this time, I couldn't hold back a scream.


	13. Chapter 13

**You likeey the last chappie? Well, here's another one for ya! :D Shout-outs: **

**silverwolvesarecool: I love Spiritflash! :D **

**TheLastNightFury777: I know what you mean. I don't get happy that he's hurt, but I like seeing people switch into Caring Mode when he does. :) Especially Astrid. And I'm glad you like her reaction. :D **

**Night Fury15: So I've heard! :D I'll have to see it sometime. :D **

**xFaerieValkyriex: Ugh, yeah, I hate disinfectant. But I love it...but I hate it...ugh. I love how it helps, hate how it hurts. :D There, better. :D **

"Hiccup, please try not to scream," said Astrid.

You know, guess what? Normally when someone says "please try not to scream" to a scared, wounded boy, it will not, I repeat, _will NOT _stop screaming.

I swallowed and nodded. Don't scream. Shouldn't be too hard, right? Of course, my screaming could very well alert the Outcasts, giving away our hiding place, and if that happened…

Well, let's not think about the "if that happened."

By the time she was finally finished, I was squeezing her hand so hard I was afraid I'd break half her fingers. And the thing is, I didn't let go, either. I loosened my hold a bit, but didn't let go.

"...Done?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I'm done cleaning it," said Astrid. "Now just let me wrap it again." Snotlout sat me up, holding me upright, since I couldn't do it on my own. Astrid wrapped the bandages around my stomach and then pulled my shirt down again.

"There," she said. "All done."

I exhaled as Snotlout laid me down again, and then looked at Astrid.

"You're lucky," she said.

I nodded, although I wasn't feeling very lucky at that moment.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Astrid asked.

I wanted to shake my head, but then there was my arm...I felt like a burden. That's what I felt like. I hated feeling weak and useless, but at that moment, that was exactly what I was feeling. Not only feeling, but I was weak and useless in general. I couldn't even sit up without Snotlout helping me. I didn't want Astrid or Snotlout to worry about me any more than they were already were, but I really felt like my arm needed to me wrapped, and probably put back into socket.

I wondered if Astrid or Snotlout could do that?

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked when I didn't respond. I shook my head at length, the action bringing more pain to my already pounding head. Astrid didn't look convinced, however, and she crossed her arms.

"I'm not blind, Hiccup," she said.

"I...my arm…" I managed.

"Your arm?" Astrid asked. I nodded. "What's wrong with it?" she asked.

"Dis...located...I think…" I said.

"Oh," said Astrid. "Um...I, I-think I could do something, but it'll hurt."

"I know," I said. My arm already hurt enough without anyone doing anything to it. Pretty much _everything _hurt now. I was used to it.

"D-do it," I said.

"Okay," said Astrid. She took hold of my right arm and turned it to where it would have to be pushed back into socket. I moaned, and then squeezed my eyes shut to try and keep from screaming.

"Ready?" Astrid asked.

I nodded shakily, and then waited for the pain to come. Astrid counted, "One...two...three!" and then twisted and pushed my arm back into place. I lurched forward and cried out quietly, although I wanted to scream.

"That was disgusting," said Snotlout.

"Make yourself useful, Snotlout," said Astrid.

"How?" said Snotlout.

"Stop talking, that's the first thing," said Astrid.

"That wasn't cool-"

"Stop," I said. "Just stop, both of you, please."

Toothless growled at them, and then both instantly shut themselves up.

"Deja vu," I mumbled. It felt so much like the lightning incident, probably a day ago now, when I had woken up in a cave, Snotlout and Astrid worrying over me along with dragons who were doing the same.

"What?" Astrid asked.

"Nothing," I replied.

"One to ten?" Astrid asked.

"I'm sorry...for what?" I said.

"One to ten, how bad is the pain?" she said, specifying.

"Um…" I tried to think straight, but my mind wasn't exactly working for me at that moment. Nothing was very clear, everything a foggy blur of things and thoughts I couldn't quite decipher. "Six, maybe?" I answered at length. "I don't...really _know_...for certain..."

"It's okay," said Astrid. "I wasn't really expecting you to."

"What am I supposed to do now?" Snotlout asked.

"Go find some sort of bucket or something and bring me some water from a lake if you can find it," said Astrid. Snotlout nodded quickly and turned away, running outside. "Don't get caught by the Outcasts, and if the water looks dirty, don't touch it!" Astrid shouted to him.

"Got it!" Snotlout called.

Astrid sighed and sat back next to where I was laying. "Do you want me to put your arm in a sling for you?" she asked. "I mean...I could find something to use for one…"

"You don't have to," I said.

"Ah, I dislocated my arm once," said Astrid. "That's...kind of how I came to knowing how to set it again. I was throwing my axe when I was little, and I guess it was too big for me, because I twisted my arm in a bizarre angle, and then bam, it was dislocated. My Uncle put it in a sling for me after resetting it, and then I asked him to teach me how to do it myself...and I remember how much it helped, having a sling."

I thought about it for a second, and then decided a sling would probably be better than keeping my arm dangling awkwardly and limply next to me.

"If you can," I said. "Like...I said, you...don't have to."

"Try not to talk too much," said Astrid. "Your arm isn't the only part of you that's hurt." She stood up, moving back over to Stormfly's saddlebag to see what supplies she had in it.

"Astrid?" I said.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"Thank you," I said.

"Don't thank me," said Astrid, rummaging through Stormfly's saddlebag. When she found a strip of fabric that would work for a sling, she moved back over to me and started putting it on. "And I just wanted to tell you…" She paused for a moment, as if wondering whether or not to continue. "What...what you did, back at the prison…" she started as she wrapped the fabric around my shoulder and neck to create a makeshift sling, "...telling us to go while you held the Outcasts off...it was, um...it was pretty brave."

"Or maybe I'm just stupid," I said.

"Look, Hiccup, I'm trying to compliment you," said Astrid. "Don't ruin it."

"Thanks," I said.


	14. Chapter 14

**So, yaaaaaaah. Chapter, oh boy! Sorry about that last cliffhanger. :) And now, a poem to all you amazing people: **

**I'm a little author, called Beyond, **

**And of Cliffhangers I am rather fond. **

**Anyone who reads my fics, know that much, **

**And they hate it and love it all and such. **

**Sorry, that was really awkward. :D Shout-outs: **

**xFaerieValkyriex: I've never dislocated or broken any of my bones before, and for that, I am thankful. Well, I guess I might. I mean, I'm only in my early teen years between ten and fifteen. :D **

**TheLastNightFury777: YES I LOVE HICCSTRID! :D **

**Silver Electricity: ALFRED! :D COFFEEEEEEE! FRAPPEEEESSSSS YEEEESSS FOR THE WIIIINNNNN! **

**silverwolvesarecool: Thanks a bunch, Sil! I love writing this! :D **

I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up next, it was dark.

My wound burned, my head pounded, and my arm throbbed, but somehow, I still managed to push myself into a sitting position, looking out the mouth of the cave. Stormfly and Spiritflash were curled up near the entrance and exit, keeping us protected from any Outcasts who tried to (quite foolishly) take us down.

"Hiccup?" said the voice of Astrid. "Are you awake?"

"Uh-huh," I replied. I turned in the direction from whence her voice emanated just as the girl stood up and approached me, sinking to the ground on my left.

"You were asleep for hours," said Astrid. "Kind of got us worried."

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

Astrid shook her head. "Don't be," she said. "It's just your body's way of recovering. You can't really control it, and fighting it is pretty much useless, although I have to say, you stayed awake for nearly twenty minutes after the stabbing. That's a long time for how much blood you lost."

"Yeah," I said, and shuddered. "Don't think I'm going to be trying to break that record any time soon."

"Oh...oh,no," said Astrid, shaking her head feverously. "Of course not."

I smiled, and then looked back to the mouth of the cave. "How are we going to get back to Berk?" I asked.

"I was thinking maybe Spiritflash could carry him in his claws," said Astrid, "but if he accidentally flashes his lightning, it'll be dangerous."

"I rode Spiritflash on the way here to Outcast Island," I said.

"Well, you're crazy," said Astrid. "I don't think we're going to be trying that again."

"Well, what do we do?" I asked.

"You're the smart one, I don't know," said Astrid.

"I'll think of something," I promised.

"I know you will," said Astrid, "but for now, I think you should just continue to rest. It seems to be doing numbers on you."

"It is," I assured. "But I just have a question."

"Yes?" said Astrid.

"What did you mean when you said 'others'?" I asked. "Back at the Outcast prison, you said something like, 'Let the others finish them off', or somethin' like that."

"Oh," said Astrid. "Well, when we left, we trained some Monstrous Nightmares and then came back. It actually was surprisingly easy, considering the circumstance."

"So...what of them?" I asked. "Did they make it?"

"I don't know, but there were ten of them and not too many Outcasts," said Astrid. "In my opinion, the Outcasts didn't stand a chance. I'm sure the dragons got out without one of them even getting hurt."

"I hope you're right," I said. "Where's Snotlout?"

"Sleeping, right there," said Astrid, pointing to where Snotlout was sound asleep next to Hookfang. I was about to say something else, when I heard footsteps. Astrid and I both turned in the direction from whence they came, just in time to see torch lights.

"Don't make a move," I whispered.

Astrid and I ducked low to the ground, our dragons growling quietly behind us. I put my hand back to shush them, my eyes still looking intently outside. Behind us, Hookfang was roused, waking Snotlout in the process.

"What's-" Snotlout started.

"SHH," both Astrid and I said in perfect unison. Snotlout quieted down long enough to hear the voices and footsteps of what were obviously Outcasts. Once he did, he dove towards us and ducked down right next to us, laying on his stomach, hand ready to draw his sword.

"Spread out!" I heard an Outcast shout. It wasn't just any Outcast, though; it was Alvin the Treacherous. "They can't be too far! Find the Berkians! No one rests until the Dragon Conqueror is found!"

Astrid and I held our breath as the Outcasts walked right in front of the cave. If they found us, that was it; it was the end. We would be thrown back into prison, or worse: killed on sight.

"This way!" an Outcast shouted, and then he and the other members of their search party ran in the opposite direction. Once they were out of sight, Astrid and I sucked in a breath, our eyes still glued to the mouth of the cave.

"We need to go, right now," I said.

"But how?" said Astrid. "You won't leave Toothless, but his prosthetic is ripped and torn in so many places...how are we going to get out of here?"

"I don't-" I started, until an idea hit me. Maybe...maybe, I could _make _a tail fin...but how? "Hang on," I said. "I think I've got it."

I picked the blanket off the ground, and then reached for the dagger I didn't have.

"Do you have a knife?" I asked Astrid.

"Um...yeah, sure, let me get it," she replied, rising to a stand and walking away, returning a few moments with a knife in hand. She held it out to me, and I took it. "What are you planning?" she asked.

"A tail fin," I said. "I'm making a tail fin." I gripped the knife in my hand harder, once again thankful I was left-handed, and that my right arm had been the one to get dislocated. Then, all at once, taking a deep breath, I sliced through the fabric.

We were leaving, one way or another.


	15. Chapter 15

**A, B, C, D, E, F, G, my reviewers are chasing me. Some are mad, because that last chapter, didn't exactly end with all glad...ugh, my poetry stinks. :D Shout-outs: **

**TheLastNightFury777: Go, Hiccup! You've got this dude! :D **

**silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! :D Me too! :D **

I wasn't sure how long exactly I was working on the tail fin. It was a matter of cutting, cutting more, measuring it against Toothless' tail, measuring, cutting tiny strips, making holes to slip the strips through to take the place of needle and thread, and then continuing on.

I kept working, harder and harder, longer and longer, ignoring when Astrid and Snotlout told me to take a break because I was overworking myself. Of course, I didn't feel like I was overworking myself; I was excited about finally getting off Outcast Island.

Maybe it was adrenaline that made me feel like I couldn't stop, because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't put down my work. I continued on and on, until finally, I was ready to start putting it together.

I was thankful the metal hadn't been fried. It was just the fabric. So, I took to stripping off the old, red, tattered cloths and replacing them with the new, makeshift tail I managed to craft.

I worked as fast as I possibly could have with only one useful arm. Astrid and Snotlout helped me whenever I asked them to, even though they were clearly telling me that I needed to give myself a break just for a second. I didn't listen to them, though, and continued working on the tail fin. As soon as it was done, we could leave.

I continued fitting it and measuring it until I finally -_ finally! _- I finished it. When it was done, I sat back, the knife leaving my hand as I dropped it to the ground beside me. I leaned backwards, falling up against Astrid's chest.

"You worked yourself too hard," she said simply. I nodded half-heartedly. "You can't do that if you're going to recover properly, Hiccup." At that moment, though, I was too tired to care.

"We can leave now," I gasped out. "I fixed his tail fin…"

"No, we're not leaving until you rest some, even if it's just a few minutes," said Astrid.

"Astrid," I said, only to be cut off.

"No," said Astrid. "At least give yourself some time to catch your breath, Hiccup. You're breathing as if you just ran a marathon."

I felt like I had, actually, if I had been completely honest with my friends and myself.

"I'll be okay," I breathed. "Right now, we need to get back to Berk, before the Outcasts find out where we are."

"Because then, it will be _CHOP CHOP _here come the Outcasts, and then no more Snotlout, Astrid, Hiccup, Hookfang, Stormfly, Spiritflash, or Toothless," said Snotlout, grinding dirt between his fingers for emphasis.

I really wished he hadn't done that last thing. It really wasn't making me feel any better about the situation, as you could well imagine.

"Okay, come on, then, let's go," I said, trying to push myself back into a sitting position. Astrid wrapped her arms around my chest, keeping me down.

"No, Hiccup," said Astrid. "You need to rest, even for a few minutes. You have to stop overworking yourself."

"But we need to get off this island," I said. "We don't know when the Outcasts will look here...they could be coming this way right now for all we know-"

"You can't fly in your condition, freckles," said Snotlout.

"Please, don't call me freckles," I said.

"Why not?" said Snotlout. "It fits you."

"Snotlout, not helping," Astrid growled.

"Oh, sorry," said Snotlout, but he didn't exactly sound sincere. "But you know, Hiccup is right. We do need to get out of here."

"Wow, Snotlout is siding with his cousin," said Astrid with fake shock. "That's a new one."

"We really need to go, Astrid," I said. "If we don't, the Outcasts _will _find us, and when they do...they'll capture us, kill us, or...or worse." They didn't ask me what could have been worse, probably because they already knew.

"Then we should get going," said Astrid, "but I'm flying Toothless, like it or not. You can ride on Stormfly."

"Sounds great, just so long as we get out of here," I said. In truth, I really wanted to be the one to ride Toothless, but I felt weak and exhausted at that point. I was overworking myself; I just needed to give my body a break.

So, Astrid helped me stand up once I got my breathing under control, and then she walked me over to Stormfly. She helped me mount, and as soon as I was on her back, I fell forward, resting my head against Stormfly's neck.

Toothless growled at me with worry and concern. I couldn't even look at him. I was worn out, and in so much pain…

"He'll be okay, Toothless," said Astrid in the place of me. "Come on, let's get back to Berk."

I didn't remember much of the flight; I must have blacked out a few times, because I fell asleep in the cave and woke up a few minutes later to the darkness of night, and the feeling of wind blowing in my face. I closed my eyes for another second, and when I opened them again, Berk was in sight.

Yes, I must have passed out a few times. That was it.

We landed in the plaza, and were instantly met with silence that engulfed the area. It was a strange silence; I was sure that there would have been at least _one _villager out and about when we landed.

Astrid dismounted and raced over to me, followed by Snotlout. Spiritflash was hiding behind the dragons, looking scared.

"Come on, Hiccup," Astrid whispered to me gently, tugging me off Stormfly's back as gently as she could have managed. "We're home now. We have to get you to Gothi's."

I nodded subconsciously, feeling at a dangerous loss of energy and use of my body. Astrid and Snotlout managed to pull me off Stormfly's back, but that didn't mean all was well. I shifted towards Astrid, laying my head on her shoulder.

And so Snotlout and Astrid - two of the people who were never actually the caring type before - helped me to my house, since I couldn't walk on my own for near obvious reasons. Spiritflash sat and remained sitting, Stormfly keeping him there with growls whenever he tried to move. One thing we didn't need was a stray Skrill on Berk.

We had landed almost directly in front of my house, so there was no need to take a dragon. Toothless trailed us worriedly, nudging me from time to time in reassurance, and a silent question, asking me if I was alright.

Of course, I wasn't really "alright", say, but I was home. We were home, and safe. And really, what more could I have asked for?


	16. Chapter 16

**Okay, so I think that this will be my final update for today. There will be two more chapters after this one, and then an epilogue. :) Shout-outs next time. :D Enjoy chapter 16! There will be a bit of Fatherly!Stoick here in this chapter. :) Enjoy! :D**

My Father was not a man to be easily frightened, worried, or scared. But when Astrid had kicked the door until my Dad had finally opened it, I had seen all three of those expressions on his face.

Once we made it to my door, Astrid and Snotlout took turns kicking it, not being able to knock, exactly.

"STOICK!" Astrid shouted. "STOICK, WE NEED YOU!"

An instant later, the door was open. My Father looked at Astrid, Snotlout, and then at me last.

"Hiccup!" he shouted, running forward and hefting me into his arms. I moaned painfully in response, my eyes flickering irritatingly as I fought to keep them open. I wasn't sure for how much longer I could have remained awake, my consciousness in tact.

"You two, go get Gothi," said my Dad to Astrid and Snotlout. They didn't have to be told twice, leaving and shutting the door behind them without another word elsewise.

"Hiccup?" my Dad whispered to me. "Can you hear me?"

"Y-yeah, I can...hear y-you," I managed, and then coughed twice. I felt my Dad tighten his grip on me almost as if he expected me to vanish. We were gone for roughly three days, I thought. He must have been worried. "M'fine," I tried to reassure him. "I'm too stubborn to die."

"Stubborn, yes," said my Dad, "but fine, no."

I moaned in both frustration and pain.

"Okay, I won't tease you," said my Dad. He held me in one massive arm while managing to lay a blanket out on the floor with the other. With that done, he gently laid me down on it before sitting down next to me himself. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked.

I nodded half-heartedly. "Outcasts," I said. That was really all that I could get out at that moment. I felt too tired and weak to say much else.

"Are you hurt anywhere else besides your arm?" my Dad asked.

Oh, so he didn't know that I had been stabbed, okay.

Wait...

How was I supposed to tell him what had happened on Outcast Island without totally freaking him out?

Instead of telling him directly, I simply lifted part of my shirt. It was easier than speaking, and a whole lot easier than actually explaining. My Dad gasped at the sight of the bloodstained bandages bound around my stomach.

"Hiccup!" he exclaimed. I winced. "What happened!?"

"I t-told you," I stuttered, my teeth chattering. The room was suddenly cold. Too cold, perhaps. "O-Outcasts."

"What did they do to you!?" my Dad demanded, his voice heated with rage. I cringed at his voice.

"As...Ask A-Astrid, w-when s-s-she 'n S-Snotlout g-get ba-ack," I said, shivering. I really didn't feel like explaining to my Dad what had happened at that moment, especially since he seemed so mad.

"Okay, I won't push you," said my Dad after a second, calming down dramatically. He seemed to understand that I wasn't exactly in the mood for talking, really for obvious reasons, too.

My teeth chattered uncontrollably. Why was it so cold?

"Are you okay?" my Dad asked worriedly. He paused. "Well, that was a stupid question…"

I tried for a smile. "Yeah, b-but it's okay," I said. "I'm f-f-fine, really. D-don't worry a-about me."

"You know that's not going to happen, right?" said my Dad.

"Yeah," I said.

My Dad placed a hand on my forehead. I looked up, trying to see what he was trying to do, when he pulled away. "You feel kind of warm," he said.

That's strange. Then why did it feel so cold? I placed my good hand on my forehead just to clarify. "Oh, well, what d-do you know?" I said, lowering my hand again. "I do, don't I?"

My Dad nodded. "You look like you're shaking, though," he said. I nodded. He stood up, and before I could wonder where he went, he returned with another blanket, draping it over me.

"T-thanks," I said.

"The next time I see an Outcast," said my Dad, "I'll make them pay for this."

"We a-already took c-care of that," I assured. "Astrid and Snotlout did, anyway, along with the dragons..."

As if on cue, we heard a frantic roar from outside, followed by a large banging sound. Toothless was obviously trying to get it, more than likely to make sure I was alright.

Before I could ask my Dad to let Toothless in, it stopped altogether. Then, there was a _THUMP _from upstairs, followed by a dragon running down the stairwell. Toothless had jumped through my bedroom window.

"Hey, bud," I said, resting my good hand on his head. Toothless leaned into my touch and then licked me gently. "How are you holding up?" I asked.

Instead of answering, he dropped to my side and curled up right there. I sighed and patted his head gently, feeling content, despite the initial pain that was continuing to engulf my being.

"When will Astrid and Snotlout get here with Gothi?" my Dad asked, eying the door, speaking to himself more than he was speaking to me.

As if answering my Dad's question, Astrid and Snotlout burst through the door so quickly, I was certain I had heard one of the hinges snap.

"We got Gothi!" Astrid shouted, tumbling to the floor, Snotlout coming in on top of her. She growled under her breath and rolled over, jumping to her feet and racing over to us. Snotlout followed closely, the village healer trailing him.

"Wassup, guys?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful.

Astrid didn't look convinced. Her braid was messy, strands of hair finding their way out of it. "You're the one hurt, freckles," she said.

I frowned. She knew I hated to be called "freckles", and probably just called me that to get on my nerves. However, I chose to ignore it, because really, it didn't matter.

"Don't worry about me," I said. "I'm pretty resilient when it comes to things like this."

"I don't know what resilient means," said Snotlout.

"Maybe I'll tell you sometime," I said. "You don't sound so lackadaisical about learning the definition."

"I don't sound _what?" _

Gothi approached us, sitting next to me, everyone else moving away just slightly to give her room. I waited for her to examine me with bated breath.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hush little reviewers don't you cry, because this is another chapter to make up for that last cliffhanger that made part of you all die. :) Shout-outs: **

**silverwolvesarecool: Thanks! :D **

**xFaerieValkyriex: Thank you! I like the thought of Snotlout calling him freckles. :D **

**AnimeAngel: Yep, definitely one of her regulars. *sets up my egg canon next to your own* **

**Silver Electricity: Haha Snotlout! Poor Hiccup! Aww, Stoick! AAaAAAAAH CLIFFHANGERS COFFEE YAYAYAYAYYAAAAY! **

**ThatHorseGirl: Thank you so much! I smiled like mad while reading that. :D *Hugs back!* **

**HiccupHaddockIII: Thank you! :D **

**TheLastNightFury777: That'd be an interesting twist. :) **

You know, I faced the Red Death with bravery. I took losing my leg better than one would expect of a fifteen year old. I trained dragons for _fun_. I lead the Berk Dragon Training Academy. I was the heir to the throne of Berk, only son of Stoick the Vast. My best friend was a Night Fury. My middle name was Horrendous (literally). I battled Dagur the Deranged, faced Alvin the Treacherous and even withstood the pain he bestowed on me and my friends.

Then why was I so worried? It wasn't like I was going to die, or anything...it was just someone looking at my wound.

Well, suppose, I wasn't really worried about people looking at my injuries. It was mainly what they would say about the wound that really made me worried. And even to say that I was worried was an underestimate, because really, I was so much more than just "worried."

I closed my eyes as Gothi undid the bandages. It hurt, but I was able to hold back all my winces and moans for the time being. I was slipping back into unconsciousness, and I was slipping fast. Part of me wanted to let it take me, while the other part wanted to stay awake and reassure everyone that I was okay, and that it would be okay.

Gothi gently poked around the area, and I gasped in pain, swallowing a scream just barely. She did it again, and this time, I couldn't stop myself.

"OWW!" I yelled. "Why would you do that!?"

She just shrugged in reply; it was really the only reply she could have given.

"It's okay, Hiccup," said my Dad. "Just lay back."

Lay back? I was afraid at that point that if I laid back, I would bid goodbye to my consciousness, and I didn't want to do that at that moment, so I stubbornly stayed awake while Gothi checked my wound.

"What does she think?" I asked after about ten seconds, just because I was worried.

"She says it looks infected," my Dad said.

"INFECTED!?" Astrid yelled. She sounded more angry than scared. "But...HOW!? We spent hours trying to make sure that this _didn't _happen!"

"It wasn't hours, actually, Astrid," said Snotlout. "More like minutes."

"It was a good ten minutes!" said Astrid. "How did this happen!?"

"Look, it doesn't matter how it happened!" said my Dad. "Gothi, what do we do now?"

I watched as Gothi scratched out on the floor with her staff. My Dad leaned over the runes, studying them, trying to make sense of them.

"She's going to clean the wound again," said my Dad. "Only it might hurt, Hiccup."

"Pain…" I said. "_Love it_."

…

At that moment, I made a vow: Never say I love pain again.

Because what Gothi did...it _hurt_. As soon as I screamed myself raw, I passed out. The next time I woke up, I wasn't on the floor, but instead on my bed, a blanket pulled up to my shoulders. My eyes flickered as I glanced about the abode, finding myself up in my loft.

"...it was scary," I heard a voice from downstairs. It sounded like Astrid, from what I heard. I sat up, and then ended up wincing in the end. Once I finally managed to push myself into a sitting position, I leaned against the headboard.

"What happened, exactly?" My father's voice this time; he sounded a mix between enraged and worried. I listened intently; I knew they were talking about me, and I wanted to know _what _they were talking about having to do with me.

"Outcast Island," Snotlout spoke up. "We already told you about the lightning thing...that was scary-"

"But then Snotlout, Toothless, Hookfang and I were captured by the Outcasts," said Astrid. "They left Hiccup there, just because he was unconscious, and because they knew he would come anyway, and it would be better if...never mind. What they said doesn't matter."

"Go on," said my Dad.

"And so Hiccup found us," said Snotlout. "He told us he had trained the Skrill, although we have no idea how exactly he managed it. While making our escape, we were surrounded by Outcasts."

"Hiccup knew they wanted him," said Astrid, "so he told us to go on without him. And...well, we did, but only so we could come back and help him in the end. Which we did, but by the time we got there...it...it was too late. Alvin had already stabbed him."

"And so we kicked Outcast tail and escaped with our lives!" said Snotlout.

"There's a lot more than just that, Snotlout," said Astrid.

"Well I know that!" said Snotlout.

"We couldn't leave, because, as I said earlier, Toothless' prosthetic was damaged," said Astrid. Toothless. Where was Toothless? As if answering my question, I heard a growl from below. Okay, Toothless was down there with Astrid, my Dad, Snotlout, and anyone else who was down there, too, even though I didn't think there were.

"And so," said Astrid, "we landed in a cave, where Snotlout and I tended to Hiccup's wound, and then he told us that his arm had been dislocated. So, I put it back into socket and made a sling for him."

"And then Hiccup had this brainiac idea where we use the blankets to forge a tail fin for Toothless," said Snotlout. "And, oddly enough, it worked, too. And so once he finished building it-"

"...He was exhausted," said Astrid. "He worked non-stop, his mind set on getting us out...he's crazy stubborn, I'm telling you. He completely refused out pleas for him to stop, always using the excuse, 'If we don't get out now, the Outcasts will find us, and then we'll never get out!'"

"Well, that's Hiccup for you, isn't it?" said my cousin.

"He can be as stubborn as he might," said my Dad, "but he isn't leaving bed for another week."

I groaned in frustration. My Dad was too protective half of the time. I swallowed once I realized that the others had heard my moan. They ran up the stairs, and then shouted, all at once:

"Hiccup!"


	18. Chapter 18

**My last chapter on this story...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK! *hides* *peaks head out* I'M NOT GONNA MAKE IT! *goes back into hiding* Enjoy the final chapter! Once again, thanks to silverwolvesarecool for requesting this story, and thanks to TheLastNightFury777 to making the cover. :) **

Toothless got to me first, bombarding me with slobbery licks. I tried to push him away, but I couldn't fight the dragon on a regular day, much less when I was hurt.

"Okay, okay, okay!" I laughed, trying to avoid my dragon's tongue. "I know you were worried!" The dragon stepped away to make space for my cousin, father, and then Astrid.

My Dad got to me the second Toothless stepped back, engulfing me in a hug. Snotlout slapped me on the back, since he wasn't one for hugs, yet still wanted to show me in some way that he cared.

And then Astrid ran towards me, throwing he arms around me and squeezing me to hard I couldn't breathe for a moment. After about half a second, I hugged her back.

Astrid pulled away, holding me by the shoulders, until she punched my forearm.

"Ow…" I muttered.

"Great to see you're okay, baby cousin!" said Snotlout.

"I'm older than you," I said.

"What-_ever_," said Snotlout.

"What happened, exactly?" I asked.

"Well, after you screamed to the point where the entire island was at the doorstep asking what was wrong," said Astrid, "you passed out. While Snotlout and I helped Gothi, your Dad went to talk to the villagers."

"Turns out," said Snotlout, "they were in the middle of planning a search party to look for us. They were going to leave in the morning."

"Yeah," said Astrid. "We were gone for quite a while, Hiccup."

"Yeah, I know," I said. "I was unconscious for a lot of it, wasn't I?"

"Quite," said Astrid. "And maybe that was a good thing."

"A good thing?" I frowned.

"I don't know, Dragon Boy," said Astrid, suddenly sounding agitated. "Would you rather have stayed conscious while we got rid of your infection?"

"I am seeing your point," I said.

"It was just on the beginning of it, so Gothi was able to stop it before it spread to the rest of your body," said Snotlout. "According to her, you were 'lucky.'" He made quotation marks with his fingers on the last word for emphasis.

"Yep, lucky, that's me," I said. "Lucky one-legged, broken-armed-"

My Father laughed. "I'm going to go spread the good news," he said. "You're awake now, Hiccup."

"Yeah," I said. "I guess it is 'good news.'"

"Yes, it is," said my Dad, ruffling my hair gently. Then, he turned and left the abode, the door shutting behind him.

"Do you want some water, or anything, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"No, I'm good," I replied. "Thanks, though."

Astrid shrugged. "You don't have to thank me," she said. "We really didn't do anything."

"You kept me alive," I said. "And I say that's a two thumbs up-"

"No, Hiccup," said Astrid. "I don't think you understand what I mean. I mean...we just left you, back at the prison…"

"I told you to go, Astrid," I said. "Besides, you left with the initial intention of returning as soon as you got help anyways, so in my opinion, you didn't 'leave me', quote unquote."

Astrid was shaking her head before I even got through speaking. "No, no, you don't understand," she said. "You could have died. If we got there even so much as a few seconds later-"

"You didn't," I interrupted her. "You didn't."

"But we could have," Snotlout spoke up. "Dude, you were half-dead when we found you. And it was kind of our fault."

"Yeah, what he said," said Astrid.

"Guys, you didn't do anything," I said. "Don't give yourselves a guilt trip, because it's not your fault. And even if it was, it doesn't matter now, right? We're all alive, we're all okay...for the most part...but even that is irrelevant. Understand?"

Astrid nodded, followed by Snotlout after just a moment.

"If you need anything," said Astrid, "don't hesitate. Okay?"

"Okay," I said. "I do have a question, though."  
>"Yeah?" said Astrid.<p>

"Where's Spiritflash?" I asked.

"Oh," said Astrid. "Of course, when you screamed, everyone heard you...and that kind of uncluded Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. We asked them if they could take the Skrill to the academy until you got there to help train it."

"Fishlegs was excited," said Snotlout, whistling. "He was like, _really _excited. He kept rambling and rambling about how incredible it was that you trained the Skrill, and all the things we could do with it once we trained it a bit better, and got it used to people."

"Sounds like he's got it under control," I said. "I guess that's the important thing."

"Yeah," said Astrid. "And Hiccup...I just wanted to tell you...I know I told you earlier, a little while back, but...you were brave."

"Thanks," I said.

"No, really, I mean it," said Astrid. "The way you didn't run and hide from the Skrill, the way you trained it to come save us, how you told us to go while you held the Outcasts off, even though you could have died...you weren't expecting to get out alive, were you?" It was a statement; not a question.

"Actually, I didn't think about it much," I said.

Astrid nodded. "Exactly," she said. "You weren't thinking about yourself. You would have been happy, living or dying, just so long as you got Snotlout and I out alive. I...well, I certainly wouldn't have done something like that, and I can speak for Snotlout, too."

"Normally I would protest," said Snotlout, "but, Hiccup, she's right."

"Anyone else would have run," said Astrid. "They would have saved themselves, but you didn't. Why?"

"Because I'm a fool," I said.

"No," said Astrid with a half-laugh. "Because you're selfless. And...well...for lack of better words, thank you, Hiccup. You were really brave."

"And thank you, too," I said.

"For what?" said Astrid.

"For coming back for me," I said.

_**THE END**_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>

**Um, so, ya, that's the end. I was going to write an epilogue, but then thought that this was a good ending, because sometimes, adding to it just ruins it. I might get around to it eventually, but as of now, this story is finished. **

**SHOUT-OUT TO ALL MY AWESOME REVIEWERS: You guys are amazing! **

**SHOUT-OUT TO ALL MY FAVORS: You guys are amazing! **

**SHOUT-OUT TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS: You guys are amazing! **

**SHOUT-OUT TO THOSE WHO DON'T FAV, FOLLOR, OR REVIEW, YET STILL READ: You guys are amazing! **

**YOU ARE ALL AMAZING! **

**"We are a team! Everyone has a role! No one person is better, or more important than the other!" -Hiccup, _Worst In Show, Defenders of Berk. _**

**You guys are awesome. All of you, whether you fav, review, follow or not. :) I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Shout-out to silverwolvesarecool for having such an awesome idea, and to TheLastNightFury777 for making such an awesome cover art. :)**

**Until my next story and or chapter update,  
><strong>**-BeyondTheClouds777 **


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